1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a chemical analysis apparatus for applying a sample material to a chemical analysis slide, i.e. a slide type chemical analysis device, provided with a single reagent layer or a plurality of reagent layers, maintaining the chemical analysis slide at a predetermined temperature (i.e. carrying out incubation) for a predetermined time, and then optically measuring the degree of color formation on the chemical analysis slide for analysis of the sample material. This invention particularly relates to an apparatus for feeding a chemical analysis slide into an incubator of the chemical analysis apparatus and ejecting the chemical analysis slide therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a specific chemical constituent in a liquid sample is generally conducted for various industrial purposes. Particularly, it is very important in biochemical and clinical fields to quantitatively analyze chemical constituents or physical constituents in body fluid such as blood or urine.
In recent years, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 53(1978)-21677 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55(1980)-164356, there has been developed and put into practice a dry type chemical analysis slide for quantitatively analyzing a specific chemical constituent or a specific physical constituent contained in a sample solution simply by applying a droplet of the sample solution. With the chemical analysis slide, it is possible to analyze a sample solution more simply and more quickly than with the conventional wet type analysis method. Therefore, the use of the chemical analysis slide is desirable particularly in medical organizations, research laboratories, or the like where many samples are to be analyzed.
In order to analyze a chemical constituent, or the like, contained in a sample solution by use of the chemical analysis slide, a measured amount of the sample solution is put on the chemical analysis slide and is maintained at a predetermined temperature (i.e. incubated) for a predetermined time in an incubator to cause a color reaction. The chemical analysis slide is then exposed to measuring light having a wavelength selected in advance in accordance with the combination of the constituent of the sample solution with a reagent contained in the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide, and the light reflected by the chemical analysis slide in terms of the optical density is measured. In this manner, it is possible to achieve quantitative analysis of the chemical constituent or the like.
In the medical organizations, research laboratories or the like in which many samples are to be analyzed, it is desirable that the analysis be conducted automatically and continuously. To satisfy this need, there have been proposed various chemical analysis apparatuses for carrying out sample analysis automatically and continuously by use of the aforesaid chemical analysis slides.
For example, it has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56(1981)-77746 to constitute a chemical analysis apparatus so that chemical analysis slides are disposed in an equally spaced relation to each other in the circumferential direction between two rotatable disks provided with an incubation heater for conducting incubation by the heater, the chemical analysis slide after incubation for a predetermined time is positioned by rotation of the disks to face a probe disposed below the disks, and exposure of the chemical analysis slide to measuring light and measurement of the reflected light in terms of the optical density are carried out by the probe via an opening in the bottom surface of the disk.
Also, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58(1983)-21566, there has been proposed a chemical analysis apparatus wherein a conveyance path in a U-shaped form or the like is formed in an incubator, a plurality of chemical analysis slides supported by a carrier having a predetermined shape are sequentially fed into the conveyance path and conveyed along the conveyance path, and exposure of the chemical analysis slide, which has been incubated for a predetermined time in the conveyance path, to measuring light and measurement of the reflected light in terms of the optical density are carried out by a probe disposed midway along the conveyance path.
In another example of the chemical analysis apparatus, chemical analysis slides are sequentially fed and stacked in an incubator. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the stacked chemical analysis slides are sequentially fed out starting with the lowest slide and subjected to measurement of the reflected light in terms of the optical density.
With the aforesaid chemical analysis apparatuses, though analysis of many sample solutions can be carried out automatically and continuously, the apparatus tends to be large and expensive, and is not very suitable for measurement of change rate, i.e. rate assay in which the reflected optical density of the same chemical analysis slide is measured many times at predetermined time intervals. Also, the aforesaid chemical analysis apparatuses have the drawback that gas generated by the color reaction of a reagent of the chemical analysis slide with a constituent in a sample solution applied to the chemical analysis slide while the chemical analysis slide is being incubated adversely affects the color reactions in the other chemical analysis slides.
Accordingly, the applicant previously proposed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 61(1986)-25582 and 61(1986)-25583 a chemical analysis apparatus which is comparatively small and light and has a simple configuration, and which enables quick and accurate chemical analysis. The proposed chemical analysis apparatus is constituted so that a predetermined amount of a substance to be measured is applied by a sample application device onto a reagent layer of a chemical analysis slide, then the chemical analysis slide is fed into either one of a plurality of compartments formed side by side in a transverse direction on the same plane in an incubator, measuring light is irradiated to the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide by a probe disposed to face the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide housed in the compartment via a measurement opening formed in each of the compartments, and the optical density of the light reflected by the reagent layer is measured.
In the proposed chemical analysis apparatuses, conveyance of the chemical analysis slide to the sample applying section, and conveyance and feed-in of the chemical analysis slide, on which the substance to be measured has already been applied, into the compartment of the incubator are carried out by use of a conveyance and feed-in means. However, the conveyance and feed-in means has a complicated configuration, tends to be large, and therefore is not suitable from the viewpoint of making the overall apparatus small and light.